Fort Myers Sets All-Time Franchise Record with 104 Home Runs on JP Smith's Walk-Off Blast
FSL Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

Fort Myers Sets All-Time Franchise Record with 104 Home Runs on JP Smith's Walk-Off Blast

Published on August 1, 2026 under Florida State League (FSL)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels News Release


FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels set the franchise's single-season home run record in an 8-7 walk-off win over the Palm Beach Cardinals in ten innings on Saturday night at Hammond Stadium.

JP Smith II 's walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth inning broke a tie with the 2023 Mighty Mussels for the most home runs in a single season in franchise history (since 1992) with homer No. 104. (See bottom of recap for full player breakdown)

"We have some hitters, man," JP Smith said postgame. "We've all gotten better... it's cool to see everyone develop and that your work will pay off one day."

Smith' swing set a pair of records. The first baseman now stands alone in the Mussels' era (since 2020) with 15 home runs on the season, passing Brandon Winokur (2024) on tonight's game winner. Smith accomplished this feat in 97 fewer at-bats and 22 fewer games played.

"Records are meant to be broken," he said. It was the first walk-off home run of Smith's amateur and professional baseball career.

Minnesota Twins No. 3 draft pick Vahn Lackey recorded his first professional hit and RBI tonight. Lackey's first knock came in the third inning, on a broken-bat flare to drive in a run. His second knock was an opposite field single, away from a shifted infield.

The backstop also added his first pair of caught stealing's behind the plate.

"The draft guys have definitely brought a spark to the locker room," JP Smith said. "I feel like we've been playing with these guys all year."

Ramiro Villanueva made his first start for the Mussels in 26 days, after coming out of the bullpen for the majority of July. Villanueva registered bookend strikeouts in a scoreless frame.

In the top of the second inning, Trevor Haskins delivered a two-out, two-run single to put the Cardinals up 2-0. It took Villanueva 27 pitches to retire the side in each of his two innings.

Fort Myers got runners in scoring position with no one out in the bottom of the frame on a walk from Colby Turner and a double by Luis Fragoza. Cardinals No. 24 prospect Cade Crossland subsequently struck out the next three batters, stranding two in scoring position.

Dylan Questad took over in the third, allowing an unearned run and striking out two.

After Merphy Hernandez was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning, Lackey's first pro hit drove him in and got Fort Myers on the board, making it 3-1.

After Palm Beach struck for another run in the top of the fourth, the Mussels' offense went to work in the bottom half. Fort Myers loaded the bases on a double from JP Smith II and walks by Luis Fragoza and Quentin Young.

Twins' 13th rounder Isaiah Lane delivered the big hit, smoking a game-tying, bases-clearing triple to right-center field. The three RBI were Lane's first of his professional career.

"The new guys stepped up big for us... they didn't miss a thing" Smith added.

On the very next pitch, Hernandez ripped a go-ahead RBI single into center field to put Fort Myers in front, 5-4.

In the top of the fifth, with two outs, Jonathan Mejia hit a two-run home run off Hendry Chivilli to right field to give the Cardinals a 6-5 advantage. Chivilli threw three innings, giving up two earned runs and striking out four.

Jake Murray worked two scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth, registering three strikeouts.

The draftees combined to level the score in the bottom of the seventh. With Lackey at second and two out, Turner tore into a game-tying double down the left field line.

Adam Falinski took over for Fort Myers in the ninth. Aided by a 4-6-3 double play started by Ramiro Dominguez, Falinski faced the minimum in the inning.

Fort Myers went in order in the ninth against Yadiel Batista, sending the game to extra innings.

Jonathan Stevens (5-2) took over as the sixth Mussel pitcher of the night. Stevens allowed the automatic runner to score on a sacrifice fly but recorded a key strikeout of Alex Birge to strand two runners in scoring position.

With two outs and the automatic runner still at second, a wild pitch by Palm Beach pitcher Zeke Wood (2-2) forced an errant throw from the Palm Beach catcher, allowing Carson Tinney to score his first professional run.

Smith's record-setting walk-off bomb came on a 3-2 breaking ball, delivering a dramatic victory for the Mighty Mussels.

Fort Myers improved to 7-4 in extra innings and 4-2 at home. Four of the six walk-off wins have come on home runs.

The series concludes on Sunday, August 2. First pitch is set for 12:05 p.m. with coverage beginning at 11:40 a.m. on the Mighty Mussels Baseball Network.

2026 FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS HOME RUN BREAKDOWN:

JP Smith II - 15 (single-season Mussels' era record)

Quentin Young - 13 Jayson Bass - 13 Luis Fragoza - 10

Ramiro Dominguez - 9 Byron Chourio - 7 Yasser Mercedes - 6

Ryan Sprock - 5 Irvin Nunez - 4 Eduardo Beltre - 3

Harry Genth - 2 Merphy Hernandez - 2 Enrique Jimenez - 2

Quinn McDaniel - 2 Graham Brown - 1 Ian Daugherty - 1

Luis Hernandez - 1 Yilber Herrera - 1 Walker Jenkins - 1

Henry Kusiak - 1 Ricardo Paez - 1 Dameury Pena - 1

Ricardo Pena - 1 Alan Roden - 1 Jake Rucker - 1

Check out the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels Statistics

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